Bruins score 4 in 3rd to clinch series
Jake DeBrusk watched the tiebreaking goal go into the net from ice level, sliding into the boards on his backside after he was flattened by Toronto defenseman Jake Gardiner.
The Bruins rookie didn’t even have time to climb up off his knees before he was mobbed by teammates.
“Jake had a real coming-out party in the series,” Coach Bruce Cassidy said after DeBrusk scored twice to help Boston beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 7-4 on Wednesday night in Boston and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
“He scored going to the net, dirty areas,” said Cassidy, whose team opens the second round against the Lightning in Tampa Bay on Saturday. “That’s always the first thing: play inside, be willing to get hit, fight for your space. That’s playoff hockey. They weren’t freebies. They’ve been real greasy, as advertised.”
Five years after rallying from a three-goal, thirdperiod deficit and beating Toronto in Game 7 of their first-round series, the Bruins again scored four straight goals to eliminate the Maple Leafs. After Kasperi Kapanen put Toronto ahead 4-3 with a shorthanded goal in the second, Torey Krug tied it, then DeBrusk gave Boston the lead with 14:35 to play.
Despite the final score, the teams were tied or separated by one goal for the first 2 ½ periods, until David Pastrnak made it 6-4 with 8:21 to play. Brad Marchand flipped one into the empty net with 51 seconds left to set off a celebration in the stands.
“For entertainment
value, that was probably one of the better Game 7s you’ll see,” said Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask, who stopped 20 of 24 shots. “It was only a one-goal game going into the third and we shut it down and scored some good goals.”
Danton Heinen scored his first NHL postseason goal, Patrice Bergeron had a goal and two assists, and David Krejci had three assists for the Bruins. In his first NHL postseason action, DeBrusk had seven points in seven games.
“Uh, it went pretty well,” he said with a laugh. “Obviously, with the win it was special — something I’ll never forget. I’ll never forget this series just in general, first playoffs. I was really happy to contribute.”
Frederik Andersen had 29 saves for the Maple Leafs, who have not won a playoff
series since 2004. They came close in the first round in 2013, when they rallied from a three-games-to-one deficit against Boston and took a 4-1 lead in Game 7.
“It’s always disappointing,” said Patrick Marleau, who scored twice for Toronto. “Obviously, you’re trying to win the Cup. To fall short once again, it’s heartbreaking every time.” PENGUINS OPEN SHORTHANDED >> The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without center Evgeni Malkin and forward Carl Hagelin when the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions open their Eastern Conference semifinal series tonight in Washington.
Coach Mike Sullivan said Malkin and Hagelin will be scratched from the lineup because of injuries.
Malkin, who led the Penguins in goals (46) and points (98) during the regular season, missed Game 6 of Pittsburgh’s openinground win over Philadelphia with a lower-body injury. The Russian star was injured when he got tangled with Flyers forward Jori Lehtera in Game 5. Sullivan said Malkin will travel with the team, which leaves open the possibility he could be available for Game 2.
Hagelin, who scored twice in the first round, is dealing with an upper-body injury after colliding with Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux in Game 6. He won’t travel with the team.
The Penguins and Capitals will face off in the second round for the third consecutive year.
“We faced each other for a lot of games, and we should know each other right now inside out,” Washington’s Nicklas Backstrom said.